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My name is Vanessa Bonilla. I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, moved to New Jersey about nine years ago, and have spent the majority of that time in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I am a fourth-year student studying business analytics and data science with a minor in marketing. My professional goal is to find a career path that will allow me to combine my love for data science and marketing into a lucrative future career. In school, one of my main interests is the stock market, and I spend a lot of time on it as president of the Students Investment Management (SIM) Club here at NJCU.
In my spare time, you can find me at the
gym, in New York City, or trying out a new restaurant. Trying plates from
various backgrounds is one of my favorite things to do. Fortunately for me, I
have yet to encounter an ethnic dish that I did not enjoy! In general, I
consider myself an extroverted introvert who values time spent with friends and
family as much as time spent alone. Although if I'm being completely honest,
I'm never alone because of the wonderful company of my kitten, Ash.
Growing up in the
Dominican Republic, I was fortunate to have access to a good private education,
which I believe helped shape me into the literal person I am today. My mother
dedicated herself to teaching me as much as she could to get me ready for
"pre-primary" school. In the Dominican Republic, the first level of
education is a "pre-primary" stage consisting of three cycles:
children ages 0-2 years old, 2-4 years old, and 4-6 years old. My mother would
find ways to get ahold of the textbooks used for the pre-primary stages and would
start teaching the material at home. She tells me that hearing her read to me
in a "classroom-like" setting from such a young age allowed me to
begin associating words, developing my vocabulary, and having a higher print
awareness, all of which boosted my literal education in the years to come.
I remember having
a larger vocabulary than my peers by the time I was in elementary school, to
the point where a kid would ask, "what does [this word] mean?" during
a regular children's and I was able to define and explain the word. One
specific memory I have is from first grade, when my language arts teacher spent
the first two weeks of school explaining the importance of good literacy
development. Interestingly, most of what my teacher was explaining was already
familiar to me, and I became bored for the majority of the lesson, but thinking
back on it, that moment marked a turning point for me, and I can say it was
when I realized the importance of literacy development.
My private school
had a separate literacy department with dedicated teachers, as well as access
to the school library. Such resources were uncommon in the Dominican Republic,
particularly at the time. I took my resources for granted, but to be honest, I
was unaware of the extent and gap in literacy education and resources. When I
first arrived in the United States, my ESL teacher was astonished by the
difference in literacy levels that I had compared to some of my peers who had
also arrived from the Dominican Republic around the same time.
Regardless of my
mother's efforts and the resources available to me, I have always been a bit
more of a math person. I had books, enjoyed reading them with family members or
in school, and participated and even excelled in my literacy school
assignments, but I was never one to pick up a book and read for pleasure. It
wasn't until recently that I realized I have a passion for literacy and the
arts, which is why I enrolled in this class. Seeing how something as simple as
private education versus public education from a young age influenced my
literacy development, I want to be able to expand my knowledge on the topics,
learn from the history of it, and learn how I can contribute to my community
about it.
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